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Karnataka emerges as the best implementer of the Right to Information (RTI) Act in a recent study on the efficacy of the pathbreaking legislation that, however, also reveals how far the country still has to go for full transparency
Karnataka tops the country in implementing the Right to Information (RTI) Act, scoring 55% in Overall Public Satisfaction (OPS), according to draft data compiled by the Magsaysay awardee Arvind Kejriwal-led NGO Parivartan as part of an initiative to promote people’s right to access information from government organisations. West Bengal is at the bottom of the heap, scoring just 6% in OPS. The draft report on the functioning of information commissions across the country has also put Karnataka’s two information commissioners -- K K Mishra and K A Thippeswamy -- in joint second and third positions in OPS, with 61% and 56% scores along with Palat Mohandas of Kerala and P K Grover of Punjab respectively; P Faziluddin of Kerala tops this list with a score of 67% in providing information to people. But, although Karnataka tops the list, the fact that only 55 of every 100 people approaching the Karnataka information commission get the information they seek means the state, and the country, has a long way to go in making the RTI Act truly meaningful. The national average of the possibility of getting information through an appeal with RTI information commissions is still a low 27%. The most interesting finding of the analysis is that the central information commission, the final arbiter of RTI Act-related issues, and a few of its members are among the worst performers in more than one category, ranking 16th with only a 19% rating in OPS. CIC member M L Sharma is 59th in OPS with just 9%, while his colleague S N Mishra is just one slot above him with 12%. The study, which will culminate in the presentation of the National RTI Awards, is the result of an analysis of orders passed in 51,128 cases by information commissioners and benches during 2008. The study does not include Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Sikkim. “Despite repeated efforts, an RTI application, several phone calls and two visits to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh did not provide copies of their orders saying that they do not have them. Tamil Nadu claims to have passed 40,402 orders during calendar year 2008 but provided us with copies of only 900 orders. Sikkim did not provide the list of addresses of all the appellants,” Kejriwal said. Data from the study was analysed along the four parameters of OPS, effectiveness, deterrent impact, and the pro-disclosure factor; in each of them, top and bottom five commissions/commissioners were identified. According to the analysis, Karnataka and Kerala are at the top as far as the effectiveness of getting the orders of their information commissions is concerned, with a 60% success rate. As far as the pro-disclosure factor, or measure of who passed the maximum number of orders in favour of disclosures is concerned, Karnataka ranks fifth with a 91% rating, following Assam (98%), Chhattisgarh (95%) and Arunachal Pradesh and Punjab (93% each). Meanwhile, Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah said in Pune: “Under Section 26 of the RTI Act 2005, it is the responsibility of the central government to publicise the Act for greater utilisation by the people. The Government of India has not done it adequately. There is still a lot of resistance in government offices to comply with the Act. But that does not imply that the Act has failed.” Citing an earlier survey by the Delhi-based NGO National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI), Habibullah said 21% of people were aware of the RTI Act in urban areas and 10% in rural areas. “An important aspect of the study is that 40% illiterate people living in Delhi slums had used RTI. It also came to light that, unlike before, government officials had drastically reduced the use of RTI for personal purposes. Only 14% of government officials were found doing it. This shows that people are coming forward to use the useful tool against corruption,” Habibullah added. “By studying the trend of queries coming through RTI applications, the government will know exactly what people want to know and what are the issues affecting their lives. This can help the establishment concentrate on areas needing greater attention. This can make the government even more strong,” he concluded. Source: Deccan Herald, October 26, 2009
Sakaal Times, October 24, 2009
http://www.merinews.com, October 2009
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